Way-late Wednesday words

Post #994.  A big drum roll leading up to #1000.  Streamers will fall down from the sky once you start reading it.  I wonder if I should do a flash-back to the beginning?  That could be interesting.  I'm sure this blog has really morphed over time - kind of like life.  But I wouldn't know because I don't read old posts because it makes me uneasy.  I don't like my own writing all that much to be honest.

Speaking of life and morphing.  It seems like the days drag on and life stays just the same.  But I was just in the basement digging deep into the abyss of a deep closet to locate all our old photo albums in a relocation project and it was completely stunning to me to see the changes in the MYP and others in the past five years.  Then I fast-forwarded in my mind five years and we have two MYP out of high school.  Big Fat Heavy Sigh.  Life seems dull and ordinary and yet it  is moving at warp-speed.

Another baby boy was born in the extended family today!  Hooray for boys!  Seems that the gender thing goes in cycles.  I wonder why?  Are all the mothers drinking the same water to produce sons?

Saw this bumper sticker yesterday, "Sarcasm... just one more service I provide".  I wonder what that person is like to deal with?

I did a major overhaul of our office today.  Two big garbage bags later it felt liberating.  I have absolutely no problem tossing things.  Unless it is an adorable "I love you" from one of the MYP when they were four.  Then only a fire could get them out of the cabinet.

Speaking of fires.  I did something today to prevent one.  I cleaned the oven.  It was icky.  You see a large group will be coming to eat turkey next month.  I wanted them to enjoy the food, the fellowship, the fun, and not look over my shoulder and think, 'Eeew!  Her oven is nasty!'  So I took a proactive approach to my worry.

Again, because of our vast and wide-array of friends, tragedy struck again to someone we know.  A loss of life at just past 50 of a husband, father, son, brother.  Back early part of '99, the Chairman and I joined up with him and a group of people and snowmobiled in Yellowstone Park for several days.  Now mind you I had never sat my backside on a snowmobile before, so I was slightly completely terrified of doing it in the mountains.  This man was our guide and he was incredible - bigger than life really.  One day we were off trails (as he enjoyed to do) and we came to a spot where we had to actually gun our sled up this steep slope and not see or know what was over the crest.  I was terrified and didn't want to budge.  Then he came down on his snowmobile and did some coaching and said these words, 'I'm going to be up on the other side of the rise.  I want you to gun it up the hill and even though you can't see the other side, I'm there.  I'll be waiting for you and make sure no one is in the way and that you get up safely, ok?'  What could I say?  So I 'gunned it' with a spirit of fear and there he was just as promised waiting for me.  There was a big thumbs up, a smile through his helmet and I felt very, very safe with him as our leader.  Kevin.  A heart so big his chest couldn't contain it.  Based on what I've read about him, I am not alone in my feelings.
Tragedy makes you value what you have and I heard myself say to the Chairman last night as we were falling asleep, "I'm glad you're here".  Count your days as days of blessing.

And with that, goodnight.